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IX.

a Sacrifice of his own, we, muft at prefent S ER M.
go on to obferve how he followed the High
Prieft of the Law in every particular Circum-
ftance and Step.

For first did the High Priest present the
Sacrifice alive to God, before it was flain,
and devote it to die for the Sins of the Peo
ple? Let us but attend to the Acts of
our Lord (which fure are worth our Atten-
tion, fince it was for us they were tranfacted)
and we shall find a very folemn Dedication
of himself to God, whilft he was at Liber-
ty and free, as a Sacrifice for the Sins of
Mankind. For at the laft Paffover which
with Defire he had defired, Luke xxii. 15.
or which he had earnestly defired, to eat
with his Difciples before be fuffered, he took
Bread, and when, after a folemn Benedic-
tion, he had broken it, he gave it to them,
faying, This is my Body which is given for
-given for them :――――― and
then given :But given to whom?
whom?To
God moft affuredly: To whom, by that
Rite, he had then devoted his Body to be a
Sacrifice for the World. -Likewife alfo
[he gave them] the Cup after Supper, Saying,
This Cup is the New Teftament in my Blood

you sever. 19.

A

See Fabnfon's Unbloody Sacrifice, Vol. I. p. 68.

which

SERM. which is Shed for you, ver. 20. or as the IX. Words ought to be tranflated, This Cup which

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is poured forth for you, is [i. e. represents]
the New Teftament in my Blood*: or, This
Cup which is now, by this Action of mine,
poured forth to my Father, as a Dedication
or Confignation of my Blood to him, is a
Seal or Confirmation of the new Covenant I
have made. So that by this Rite of break-
ing the Bread and pouring forth Wine, as
his facramental or reprefentative Body and
Blood, before his Father, our Lord made a
voluntary Oblation of his own proper Body
and Blood for a Sin-Offering to God.
der these Figures he folemnly offered and con-
fecrated himself to die and fuffer as a Victim
in our ftead: And that, as I have faid before,
at a Time when he was fully and perfectly
at Liberty, at his own Difpofal, under the
Power of none; Verifying what he himself
had declared before:: I lay down my
Life for the Sheep :-
Therefore doth
Father love me, because I lay down my Life
that I may take it again. No Man taketh
it from me; but I lay it down of myself: I
have Power to lay it down, and I have Power
to take it again. This Commandment have I
received of my Father, John x. 15, 17, 18.

18

* See Knatchbull in loc.

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my

So

So that the fixing of his Body, and the fhedding of his moft precious Blood, on the Cross, though feemingly done with the most malicious Intent, was yet in Pursuance of his own holy Will, and in Confequence of his own first Offering himself under the Symbols of Bread and Wine. For in that Action he died and fuffered in Will, as it was upon the Crofs that he died and fuffered in Deed. And this his own most affectionate Prayer, which he used at that Time, evidently fets forth. We have it in the 17th Chapter of St. John: These Words Spake Jefus, and lift up his Eyes to Heaven, and faid,-Father, Father, the Hour is come: Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee: As thou haft given him Power over all Flesh, that he fhould give eternal Life to as many as thou haft given him, John xvii. 1, 2. And then as the High Priest used to pray over the Sacrifice, not only for himself, but alfo for his Houfe, i. e. all the reft of the Priests, and for the whole Body of the Nation; fo doth Jefus proceed to pray moft paffionately for his Apoftles, and for all that should believe on him through their Preaching or Word, ver. 19, 20. for whofe Sakes (faith he) I fanctify myself, i. e. offer myfelf a Victim,

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SERM.

IX.

SER M. as many of the venerable Fathers of the IX. Church explained those Words.

And having thus freely devoted himself an Offering for Sin, and being also accepted as fuch by his Father, it mattered not much by whofe Hands he was facrificed or flaini Or rather he ought to be flain by those Perfons for whom he died. For the common Sacrifices among the Jews for Trefpaffes and Sins, i. e. those that were offered for fingle Perfons, or private Families, were generally killed by thofe in whofe Behalf they were offered. And when the Priest killed the Sa crifice, the flaying, and offering it were Acts diftinct. The Offering confifted in the Prieft's confecrating it to God, before it was killed, and in properly applying the Blood of it afterwards. In the great Atonement indeed, on the Day of Expiation, the High Prieft was indifpenfably obliged, not only to prefent, but also to kill, the Goat himself: But why fo? Why because it was offered for the whole Body of the People, of which he himself was not only one, but in Things pertaining to God the Chief. For he him Self was compaffed with Infirmity, and by "Reafon hereof, he ought, as for the People, fo alfo for himself, to offer for Sins, Heb. v. 2, 3.

And

IX.

And therefore as the Goat was a Sacrifice for SERM. himself, as well as for all the Nation befides; it was fit it should be flain by himself, as a Sinner, and the Reprefentative of all the Sinners there. But with Jefus it was not fo: He, being holy, harmless, undefiled, made higher than the Heavens, had no need, as: thofe High Priests, to offer up Sacrifice, first for his own Sins, and then for the Peoples; chap. vii. 26, 27. But having presented and devoted himself for the People; leaves it to the People themselves to flay him, to whom by facrifical Rites it belonged.

Having therefore performed, in the Prefence of his Apostles, as I have fhewed above, his Office as Prieft, he next comes forth and proceeds as the Victim. And if it was always accounted a happy Omen, if the Sacrifice came to the Altar without Reluctance, willing and free; never certainly was fo great an Affurance given as now; when this VicItim came on, confcibus of what he was going to fuffer, and yet feeking, forwarding, and importuning his Death.

For fo we find, that as foon as he had concluded the Prayer of Oblation, I have mentioned before; when Jefus (faith the Evangelift) had finished these words, he then, knowVOL. II.

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ing

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